Operation: Trojan Horse
by DJ Avenger
Summary: A captured Kirov Airship is used to deal a blow to the Soviet Empire. Rated R to play it safe.


Disclaimer: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is the property of Westwood Studios. I'm just borrowing them to try to make a good story.  
  
Author's note: After beating the Soviet campaign in Red Alert 2, I wondered what would happen if the Allies were able to get their hands on a Kirov Airship. And since no one has yet to write a story about a Kirov, I figured I might as well be the first. I changed a few things, like giving them SOME kind of defence, but all-in-all kept them the way they are in the game. Enjoy the story and if you like it I'll write more!   
  
Operation: Trojan Horse  
  
The Kirov Airship is one of the most feared weapons of the Soviet Union. First envisioned by Joseph Stalin but failed to advance beyond the development stage, the project was resurrected by Premier Alexi Romanov to fill his need for a cheap but very powerful bomber since building lots of MIGs would be too obvious. Even though the airships are very simple, they are also quite advanced. New Soviet technologies produced a fabric for their envelope that was incredibly lightweight but extremely strong, almost bullet-proof. The six gas cells inside the envelope that carry the important helium were self-sealing. It's metal alloy frame could withstand incredible damage. The first prototype had seven engines, four for lift and three for forward movement, a large central bomb shaft that could carry a large payload of heavy bombs, and a machine gun turret for defense. Unfortunately, the design was too heavy and couldn't lift itself too far off the ground. After a redesign a second prototype emerged. It was larger than the first and had just five engines. It didn't have the turret so the Kirovs now had no way of defending themselves. Instead the five-man crew carried guns with them to fire out the windows of the cabin in case they were attacked. In tests it performed well and even exceeded some expectations. Soon after it was slated for full production and four facilities in the Soviet Union have produced more than a thousand of them and many more under construction for the war against the United States and her allies. This is the story of one of them, Kirov No. 116. It would end up fighting for both the Soviet and Allied cause.  
  
  
Part One  
  
Monday-11:41 p.m.  
30 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska  
  
The 6th Fleet of the Soviet Union's Red Air Armada was preceeding to the next target after totally destroying a small town. Their mission was to inflict as much damage to the state as possible so that when the main bulk of the Red Army finally arrived they would not be hit by any resistance and easily take it over. The 6th Fleet consisted of 24 Kirov Airships. One of them was Kirov No. 116. With eight successful bombing missions without any damage, the ship was heading for one last mission before returning to base for a fresh crew. While en route, though, a problem developed on board.  
"Ah, hell," the engineer muttered. He noticed that the RPM gauge for the number four engine was fluctuating. "Captain."  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"We have a problem with the number four engine. I don't think it's serious but I think I should check it out."  
The captain looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "Very well. All stop!"  
"All stop, aye sir," the first pilot said. He pulled the throttles back and the giant airship slowed to a stop.  
"Five minutes," the captain said to the engineer. "Then we move."  
"Yes sir," he said. He then climbed the ladder that led inside the envelope. The Kirov was designed so that its engines could be accessed through several hatches in the envelope.   
Almost immediately the second pilot yelled, "We have incoming on radar!"   
Unknown to the 6th Fleet, they've passed too close to a newly established Allied base that was hidden by a gap generator. The base scrambled two dozen rocketeers to intercept them, but a good deal of them were headed toward the stopped Kirov.   
"All engines full ahead!" the captain shouted. "Grab your weapons!"  
The Kirov began to sluggishly move forward. The crew grabbed their AK-47s and aimed out the windows. Immediately the rocketeers came into view and began firing on them. Some of the bullets bounced off the envelope but others went through. The cells inside immediately sealed themselves. The crew fired back. Two rocketeers were hit and they went spiraling down.   
"Keep firing!" the captain yelled.  
Three more rocketeers were hit. The others regrouped and fired back, hitting one of the engines.  
"Captain, we've lost number three engine!" the engineer yelled. "We're losing speed!"  
Just then bullets tore through the cabin, shattering windows and hitting panels. One bullet hit the radio, rendering it useless. The crew got cut by some of the glass.  
The crew fired some more and the rocketeers retreated. They cheered, but not for long. An Allied Harrier was coming at them.  
"Where are they coming from?" the first pilot asked.  
"Who cares! Just fire!" the captain shouted.  
They fired at the incoming aircraft. It did it's best to dodge the bullets, but three hit the plane and it began smoking. The pilot had time to get a missile off and then ejected.  
"Oh, shit," the bombardier said.  
"Hang on!" the captain yelled.  
The missile hit the armor plate along the bottom of the ship just between the cabin and the bomb shaft. The airship shuddered violently and the crew were thrown around in the cabin. A beam in the envelope tore loose and sliced through the third and fourth gas cells. The beam prevented the cells from resealing and the ship was loosing precious helium fast.  
An alarm sounded in the cabin and the engineer ran over to a panel. "Captain, we're leaking helium from cells three and four! They're not resealing!"  
"We're losing altitude!" the second pilot yelled. "200 meters and dropping!"  
"Vent the air bladders!" the captain shouted.  
The engineer pumped air out of the bladders in hope of stopping the decent, but the ship was too heavy and still fell.  
"150 meters and still dropping!"  
The ship was falling toward a forest. The captain saw that Allied forces were moving toward the forest to meet them.  
"100 meters and still dropping!"  
The captain moved over to the panel containing the self-destruct device. To prevent their capture Kirovs had a self-destruct device that would instantly destroy them.  
"Well comrades," he said solemnly. "We did our duty for Mother Russia, but this time it wasn't our night. Time to end it." He pressed the switch but nothing happened. The line to the charges was severed when the missile hit.  
"Damn," he muttered. He then reached for his cyanide pill. The crew did the same. "Well, the bastards may get this ship, but they won't get us. To Mother Russia!"  
"To Mother Russia!" his crew repeated.  
They swallowed their pills and died instantly. The crewless Kirov then crashed into the forest, causing even more damage to it.  
Minutes later the Allied troops reached the ship, among them was the base commander. G.I.s climbed into the cabin with their weapons drawn. A moment later they came back out. "They're dead, sir," one of them said.  
"Damn," the commander said. "I was hoping we could get more info from them. Search the ship! See if there's something we can still use!"  
"Yes, sir!"  
The commander then walked around the ship, looking up at it. It was laying almost on its side, looking like a beached whale. It was considerably damaged but looked salvageable. He circled it a second time before an idea suddenly hit him. It was an idea so ambious and dangerous that it hadn't been thought of. He grabbed his radio and called back to base.  
"Yes, sir?" the reply came.  
"Send all the Blackhawks to our position."  
"Yes, sir. All of them?"  
"Yes, all of them. ASAP."  
  
...more to come later  
  



End file.
